Dispenser with suspended carrier

Abstract

Disclosed is a dispenser of the type having a suspended, upwardly biased, carrier plate for holding trays, plates, etc. and for automatically advancing the load of articles to present the uppermost article at a predetermined position near the open top of the dispenser. The dispenser has an improved biasing system for achieving the automatic advancement of the load employing compression or tension springs as the biasing means and a deformer supported for vertical movement with the carrier plate and for horizontal movement relative to the carrier plate so that it can bear upon the biasing means to cause deformation thereof. A cam member is obliquely supported on the frame within which the carrier moves and horizontally deflects the deformer as the carrier tray is depressed. Thus, the further the carrier plate is depressed (e.g., by the addition of items to the stack which the carrier plate supports) the greater will be the deformation of the biasing means and the greater the biasing force acting against the deformer and cam member to urge the carrier plate upwardly. The cam member can be adjusted in its angle with respect to the vertical to vary the amount of deformation of the biasing means at any given vertical position of the carrier plate, thereby permitting the adjustment of the biasing force so that the dispenser can be used to dispense articles of different weights with the appropriate balance of the weight of the stack of articles and the upward biasing force.

I claim: 
     
       1. In a dispenser comprising a frame having an open top, a carrier plate movable in said frame and accessible through said open top, a suspension system for maintaining said carrier plate level at all positions thereof in said frame, and a biasing system for biasing said carrier plate toward said open top, the improvement wherein said biasing system comprises a resilient biasing member which produces a biasing force that increases with increasing deformation of said biasing member from a base configuration and which is supported on said carrier plate for vertical movement therewith, a deformer supported on said carrier plate for vertical movement with said carrier plate and for horizontal movement relative to said carrier plate and said biasing member, and a cam member supported on said frame and disposed to drive said deformer horizontally as said carrier plate moves downward thereby causing deformation of said biasing member.   
     
     
       2. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said deformer comprises a rod supported for horizontal movement in aligned slots provided in members secured to opposite sides of said carrier plate, and wherein there are a pair of said cam members in registration with each other and supported on sides of said frame adjacent said slots, said deformer further comprising a bearing member at each end of said rod for contact with each of said cam members. 
     
     
       3. The dispenser of claim 2 wherein said bearing members comprise rollers rotatably secured to opposite ends of said rod. 
     
     
       4. The dispenser of claim 2 wherein each said cam member comprises a rigid rod disposed at an acute angle with respect to the vertical and secured at its upper and lower ends to said frame. 
     
     
       5. The dispenser of claim 4 wherein, for each said cam member, one of the ends thereof and the adjacent portion of said frame include means for securing said one end to said frame at different locations on said frame, whereby the angle each said cam member makes with respect to the vertical may be altered, thereby altering the degree of deformation of said biasing member at any given position of said carrier plate within said frame. 
     
     
       6. The dispenser of claim 5 wherein there are a plurality of biasing members, each secured to said carrier plate. 
     
     
       7. The dispenser of claim 6 wherein each of said biasing members comprises a spring. 
     
     
       8. The dispenser of claim 6 wherein each biasing member comprises a compression spring supported on a hollow, longitudinally slotted mandrel, said deformer rod passing through the slots of each said mandrel substantially perpendicular to the axis of each said compression spring. 
     
     
       9. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of said biasing members, each said biasing member comprising a spring supported on said carrier plate for vertical motion therewith and deformable in a horizontal direction. 
     
     
       10. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said cam member comprises a rigid member disposed at an acute angle with respect to the vertical and secured to said frame at the upper and lower ends of said cam member, one end of said cam member pivotally secured to said frame and the other end of said cam member and the adjacent portion of said frame including structure allowing said other end of said cam member to be secured to said frame at a plurality of locations on said frame.